Penrith and District Beekeepers Association
Beekeeping in Penrith and surrounding areas
The Yellow Legged Asian Hornet is an invasive insect which is threatening the survival of bees and other pollinators across Europe and the UK . A display at Penrith library, available until 12th March, provides information about honey bees and how you can help to combat this existential threat. On Saturday 7th March at 2.00.p.m. beekeepers will lead an activity session for adults and children. This will include a free honey tasting. Buzz along to the library to find out more!
| *6th– 7th June 2026 OR 25th – 26th July 2026 led by Julia & Martin Hoggard. * Due to impending surgery two dates have been provisionally arranged in case Julia’s operation means that she cannot lead the course in June. Only apply if you know that you would be able to manage to attend if either of these weekends are used. Confirmation of the date will be provided as soon as possible. |
Julia & Martin Hoggard will run the Introducing Beekeeping on behalf of PBKA. It will be of interest to anyone who would like to become a beekeeper or who wants to know what is involved as well as those who have started beekeeping, but consider themselves to be beginners.
Julia and Martin are both highly experienced beekeepers and trainers. They run the Brigsteer Bee Reserve, just outside Kendal. More information about Julia, the Bee Reserve and her training programmes, along with course feedback, can be found at www.BeeEd.org.uk
Introducing Beekeeping is a two day course. It will run on one of the following weekends:
Day one will commence at 9.00. (registration) and finish at 5.45.p.m. (Includes colony inspection) Day two will commence at 9.00. and finish by 5.00.p.m.
The course will combine theory with practise and will involve an introduction to all the basic skills needed to become a competent, confident beekeeper
Fee: £120 This includes: tuition; loan of kit; information to take home; light refreshments, EXCLUDING lunch. Please bring your own packed lunch.
Concessions: £100 PBKA Members £70 *students in full time education.
*Minimum age 12 years. Students U.18 must be accompanied by an adult who is parent/guardian or officially acting in ‘loco parentis’ and is also attending the course.
Places are limited. To reserve a place please contact PBKA asap: see below.
Closing date for applications: Monday 18th May. Cancellation: unless PBKA cancels the course, refunds for cancelled places cannot be made after 18th May 2026.
Penrith & District Beekeepers Association (PBKA) has its Teaching Apiary at Acorn Bank, the National Trust property at Temple Sowerby. From time to time visits are arranged for community groups that are interested in learning more about bees, pollinators and the work of beekeepers. This summer, for the first time, a group of Young Carers from the Eden area were invited to come along as part of their summer activity programme.
The group of 7-13 year olds were accompanied by two members of Eden Carer staff . The session was led by two PBKA Members , and one of the PBKA apiary managers who helped by supplying an observation hive to ensure that the children could safely take a closer look at bees during the session.
Informal learning activities initially took place in the main drawing room of the house when the children were introduced to the defining features of bumblebees, solitary bees and honey bees and their life cycles. They sorted silk flowers into those that were/ were not ‘bee friendly’, tasted different types of honey and made wax candles.
As the weather was fine, these were followed by taking a walk through the gardens where the children were encouraged to spot bee friendly flowers and watch the bees gathering pollen and nectar. The trail led to the apiary where the children could see the bees entering and leaving the hives. On the way back to the house, they were provided with kits to help them to safely catch and identify different types of bumble bees. At the end of the day, the children were given a bag in which to carry home their candle and information cards about the Asian Hornet.
Before they left, the staff and children wrote a few comments on their experience. These included
‘I enjoyed: everything; honey tasting; bee catching; looking at the bee hives; making the candles ; every part of the day; It was very informative and doing the activities it was good everyone got involved; catching the different kinds of bees and trying the honey. ‘
‘I will remember: The children being so enthralled and concentrating! How hardworking bees are and to keep a watch for Asian Hornets; All of it- fantastic day- thank you; catching the bumble bees and making candles; what an Asian Hornet looks like; what a bumble bee looks like and how they are different from a honey bee.’
Penrith Beekeepers’ Winter Zoom Meeting Programme
You are cordially invited to join us for any of these meetings
The next zoom meeting in our winter programme, comes up next week on Wed. 3rd December. This
and the others which follow , with the relevant zoom links, are listed below:
Wednesday 3rd December 2025 7.30.p.m.
‘Fast and slow beekeeping’.
The art of decision making in Beekeeping:- Knowing when to take timely action and when to be patient. -Making the right decisions for your bees. -Getting the best outcomes for you and your bees
Presenter: Kevin Thorne
Kevin is a Bee farmer with 50 hives in and around Lavenham, Suffolk. Kevin is
passionate about improving his bees to be calm, healthy and productive and working
to educate beekeepers in this area. He and his wife Julie run Stour Valley Apiaries
and Busy Bees Cosmetics. Kevin has established a Bee Improvement Group at
Abberton Reservoir in Essex, working with local beekeepers, Colchester BKA, Essex
and Suffolk Water and Essex Wildlife Trust to reintroduce the native black bee to the
area. Kevin is a BBKA national speaker.
Thursday 15th January 2026 7.30.pm.
What makes Bees Tick?? (Glands, hormones, pheromones, sense organs and much
more! )
The talk will describe how various glands (including those producing pheromones
and hormones) and sense organs act together, sometimes in very complex ways, to
control the colony. How does the bee manage when it has an impervious outer
skeleton? What does a superorganism mean in relation to the honey bee colony?
The impacts on foraging, swarming, development of the individual bee and the
colony will be discussed.
Presenter: Pam Hunter
Pam is based in Sussex. She is a Master Beekeeper and BBKA National Speaker
Z
‘Nutrition in Honey Bees’ :
Focussing on the nutritional requirements of bees at different times of the year:
-the role of the fat body in overwintering, -the nutritional contents of different pollens -why bees need variety in their diet.
Presenter: Margaret Murdin
Margaret has been keeping bees for over 20 years and is a Master Beekeeper. She
has won the prestigious Wax Chandlers Award for the highest marks in the BBKA
exams and holds the National Diploma in Beekeeping. Until recently, Margaret was a
BBKA Trustee and is a Past President, assistant moderator and examiner. She is a
BBKA National Speaker.
We look forward to you joining us for these sessions!
Beekeepers from PBKA and Carlisle BKA visited the ‘ Bees a Story of Survival’ exhibition at the World Museum, Liverpool on 9th March. Fascinating information about how bees have evolved from wasps, the thousands of different types of bees that exist globally and the ways in which they continue to survive against all the odds was provided through films, interactive displays and models highlighted by hi -tech colours, lighting and sounds. An absolutely amazzzing experience!
on her achievements at the Honey Show.
Including being awarded ‘Best in Show’ rosette.’
Unfortunately two of the cups she was awarded have not been returned to CBKAA so if they eventually arrive we will need to do another photo update!
| Tuesday 17th December 7.30. p.m. Zoom | Presentation by Buckfast Beekeepers : Preparing for Spring – Don’t idle your winter away. Get ready for the great awakening and be looking at it not for it! Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section |
| Wed 29th January 7.30. p.m.
Zoom
| ‘ All About Bumblebees’ : presentation by Charlotte Rankin, Cumbria Wildlife Trust While hibernating queen bumblebees are tucked up underground awaiting spring, why not grab a warm drink and join Cumbria Wildlife Trust for an evening talk about bumblebees? Charlotte from Cumbria Wildlife Trust will provide an introduction to bumblebees, their lifecycle, species that call Cumbria home, and how we can support them in our gardens and green spaces. Charlotte will also share information about Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s work with communities and landowners to create wildflower-rich habitat for bumblebees and other pollinators. Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section
|
| Tuesday 25th February 7.30.
ZOOM | ‘Making the most of nucs ‘ presentation by Pamela Hatton Cheshire BKA
Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section
|
| Thursday 6th March 7.30.
Zoom | ‘Swarm Control’: Presentation by Keith Bartlem until recently, NBU Seasonal Bee Inspector Spotting the signs! Swarm prevention / control, without panic and dramas! Zoom meeting Login details sent by email & also posted on Members section |
About the presenters
| ||||||
| Pamela Hatton : Cheshire BKA Myself and hubby Stuart have kept bees for over thirty years (yes – we remember those lovely pre-varroa days when we didn’t know we had it so good!). We worked our way through the BBKA exam system and are now both Master Beekeepers. I was branch secretary for N. Cheshire BKA for over 10 years until I became Chair of Cheshire BKA, and now it is my honour to be President of the County. Stuart is Chair of N. Cheshire Branch. We are both very involved in education in the County, holding various courses through the ‘flying season’ at our Apiary. We lecture at our Branch theory sessions, and hold beginner practical sessions every weekend through the summer, as well as running a Basic Study group and assessments every year. Being a keen candle maker and ex-exhibitor, I also run a wax workshop every autumn for the County as well as making honey and beeswax soap, creams and balms which I sell at shows etc. | ||||||
| Keith Bartlem : Formerly an NBU Seasonal Bee Inspector Keith has kept bees for over 30 years and until the end of the 2024 season was a Seasonal Bee Inspector with the National Bee Unit. He was also a Seasonal Bee Inspector for four years in the North East of England. As a Seasonal Bee Inspector he has organised Asian Hornet track and trace workshops, and demonstrated at Honeybee health days. Keith also gives talks to Beekeeping associations on honey bee health, honey bee husbandry, honey bee behaviour, and the Asian Hornet. |
After two previous attempts which were ‘rained off’, PBKA members eventually managed to visit Gosling Sike on 4th September. Named after a small tributary of the River Eden, Gosling Sike is an organic working farm and the site of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s northern office. The land was transferred to Cumbria Wildlife Trust in 2012 by Sue Aglionby. Its development as a wetland wildlife sanctuary has taken place over recent years.
The evening was calm and balmy and it was a pleasure to see bees, dragonflies and other insects flying around the pond and in and out the dense wetland vegetation surrounding it. Adam McGinley the Site Warden described the stages of its development and their surprise at how quickly the insects discovered the site and how many species in fairly large quantities now inhabit it.
During a walk in the nearby coppiced area we were fortunate to encounter the ‘Hedgehog Specialist’, one of the hardworking volunteers who takes a particular interest in monitoring and caring for the hedgehog population which has gradually expanded to at least 10 of them in recent months. He described the hazards that hedgehogs face, particularly when they are fed the wrong type of food by well meaning members of the public. Unexpectedly ‘kitten biscuits’ were particularly recommended, while birdseed and commercially produced ‘hedgehog food’ should be avoided as they contain ingredients that hedgehogs cannot digest.
A quick look at the abundant vegetable plots that are tended by volunteers, was followed by a visit to the facilities that are available for volunteers to make resources such as bird and bat boxes which are then sold to raise funds. Another interesting facility were the purpose built seed sheds which are kept at ambient temperatures to preserve seeds for storage and replanting . This initiative is managed in collaboration with Kew Gardens which is the ‘seed bank’ for seeds from all over the world and is designed to preserve their genetic strains for future generations.
The visit concluded with a walk through the poly tunnels where seed plugs were being grown to transfer to areas across Cumbria where the plants need to be replaced.
We were all impressed with the wide range of activities that Cumbria Wildlife Trust are undertaking on this site to help nature continue to survive and thrive in increasingly challenging circumstances.
Stephen Barnes and Margaret Riches attended a Memorial service on Monday 2nd September in remembrance for David Galloway our former Chair and Patron.
Dear Beekeeper
You are cordially invited to the Cumbria Beekeepers Autumn Convention organised by Cockermouth Beekeepers
The Convention will be held at Embleton Village Hall on Sat 7 Sep 24. Doors open at 9am. The post code for the hall is CA13 9XU.
Complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits will be available all day.
The programme is attached and has been selected to have something for all levels of beekeepers.
There is no need to book in advance and the entry fee of £15 is payable at the door (Cash only)
There is some parking at the village hall, but otherwise please park at the Embleton Spa Hotel across the road. Please do not obstruct access to the fields
The cost of the Beekeepers Lunch is £22 per head for a starter and a main, menu choices to be made on arrival at the event. The quality of the food is excellent and a good craic about bees is always on the menu!
Hope to see you there
Peter Weatherill
2024-Convention-pages-2-3.docx